


To make a name you pay the price, you give your life, no other way

by cutebutpsyco



Series: Tony Stark Bingo 2019 Fills [7]
Category: Iron Fist (TV), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Danny Rand Has Nightmares, Gen, How Do I Tag, Not Beta Read, Panic Attacks, Possibly Pre-Slash, Post Avengers Infinity War, Post Iron Fist season 2, Pre-Slash, Tony Stark Bingo 2019, Tony Stark Has Nightmares, Tony and Nebula crash in Japan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-24 00:32:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18560302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cutebutpsyco/pseuds/cutebutpsyco
Summary: TONY STARK BINGO. FILL T3: NEW TEAM ||“So, you said you’re not sure you can control the shining thingy, and I won’t ask you to fight for us, but I thought the Compound to be a home for every superhero I can find out there. If you don’t know where to go, or if you want updates on when your best friend will be back, know that the door is open for you.”“I want to help,” Danny answered, nodding at the older man. “And I know a couple of friends who would like to make the difference if they are still around.”





	To make a name you pay the price, you give your life, no other way

**Author's Note:**

> Before you start to read, I haven't watched IF2 yet, so I want to thank from the bottom of my heart Tumblr user janiedean who told me what happened and where Danny was at the end of it. The following fic wouldn't have been possible without her (?), and you all would have been much happier about this, I know it lol  
> Then, for the sake of fiction, the accident of Danny and his parents happened when he was around 21/22 because I love the idea of him and Tony fucking while Tony was still in his bad years and do not remember about this young attractive guy. It's me writing for me and thinking that this ship has a lot of potential!  
> This is gen/pre-slash, but something more will probably come, I just don't know why or when. 
> 
> As always, nothing belongs to me, and this isn't beta read. Title from "Bullet in A Gun" by Imagine Dragons

It was a crash, what woke Tony up. The strong noise of something hitting the ground, too strong and too fast for him to try to understand what was happening and preventing it, all while he was trying not to think about the fact that was going to die, in an alien spaceship so close to the planet he liked to call home, and yet so far from his own home. A place where he was sure none was still alive. 

He was getting used to sharing his living space just with Nebula. The android was silent, caught up in her thoughts most of the times, and was practical. She wasn’t the kind of person who sugars the pill and Tony always worked better with those people, to the point that he started to think that he could at least try to save the world and to avenge the people who disappeared in the Snap. But no, probably it was just a terrible joke of the faith and he was going to die, crushing against the Earth soil. At least, he was at home.  
That was his last rational thought. 

Voices reached Stark’s ears and the sound of Nebula moving around the destroyed spaceship looking for him immediately stopped. Tony couldn’t move, the last nanobots of his suits had been indispensable for him to survive the last days, replicating oxygen particles so he couldn’t use them to create enough of the suit that would have allowed him to free himself from the spaceship debris. Something about which he didn’t want to think was keeping his left arm blocked between two pieces of plates and he could feel the weight from part of the collapsed ship against his back. Focusing on the voices was hard, but he could say with certainty that they weren’t speaking English. He couldn’t make out which language it was, though. 

He probably fainted again, because when he woke up, he wasn’t longer being crushed by the weight of cold metal and twisted alien components. He could hear the beeping of some kind of machinery and the only thing he could think about was Afghanistan, again. And then his brain blacked out the moment his hand started to search for a car battery connected with his heart. There was nothing, and that meant he was dying and he didn’t want to. He went so far, he couldn’t die, he couldn’t simply stop now, not when the entire universe was paying for his mistakes. If only he had listened to Strange if only he had been strong enough to kill Thanos.

The beeping fastened and air seemed to not finding any longer its way thought Tony’s lungs. He tried to calm down, but he simply couldn’t. Everything, around him, was too bright, too loud, everything was Afghanistan, and the New York wormhole, and Titan, and Monaco all over again. And he couldn’t think and breathe and he wanted to scream but he was strong and strong men do not yell or cry. He was a Stark and Stark men are made of iron. But he wasn’t. He was copper, and copper was weak, malleable. He was copper and Obie used him because of this reason. He was copper and he couldn’t convince Peter to stay back, and Peter died in his arms. 

“Dr Stark,” A voice, a voice that Tony was sure he had never heard before, and yet, somehow, familiar. Nobody called him Doctor. He forced himself to open his eyes, realizing a moment later that he did it already, that he was staring into the void which was filling with vague images from everything that happened to him. Whoever that person was, his voice helped him to focus enough to turn his face and find a young man by his side. The guy was probably in his early thirties, blonde and curly hair, light blue eyes, a trimmed goatee - because it seemed to be the new trending style if the Wizard was someone to go with - and a vague smile. He seemed a nice guy, the problem was that Tony had no idea of who the hell he was, despite being pretty sure he wasn’t either one of his captures or a doctor of a sort.  
He was wearing a suit and a pair of sneakers and that, at least, woken something in Tony’s mind. He saw this kid at least once, in the past, he just couldn’t place him. Or maybe he was just the umpteenth hipster, Tony wasn’t sure about that. 

“Who are you?” He asked, deciding to trust his voice enough. “Where is Nebula? Where am I?”

The guy’s smile didn’t disappear, and Tony decided it was a good sign. He was far from being sure that the man wasn’t going to kill him in a couple of seconds, but, at least, he seemed the kind of person who was willing to give an explanation. Maybe, if his intent was to kill him, Stark could convince him otherwise. 

“I’m Danny Rand,” He said, and a less vague memory started to appear in the back of his mind: Rand Enterprises. It was more than logical that everyone called Rand ended in some invitation list for the Stark Industries events, at some point or the other. “Your friend is waiting for you to wake up outside this room, and you are in a private clinic on my payroll in Japan. Press won’t be informed about your location and conditions if you won’t ask for it.”

Tony nodded, gratefully. He wasn’t ready to explain to journalists what happened on Titan, he didn’t even know if he could speak about it with Danny. The truth was that he didn’t know the man and he had never been good with all the trust thing. “Thanks, kiddo.” 

“Can I ask you something, Dr Stark?” Danny asked, and Tony knew that he wasn’t ready to listen to what was coming next, but he nodded anyway. “I saw my best friend disappearing into dust in front of me, and then, something like three weeks later you and a blue-skinned alien android appeared in the middle of the sky and crushed with a spaceship.”

“This doesn’t sound at all like a question,” Tony interrupted, just because Danny was going too close to ask something at which he wasn’t ready to answer yet. 

“It’s just, my best friend’s disappearance? I thought it was on me. We were doing tough questions to the wrong people so, it’d make sense, but I’m not so sure about it, now.”

Tony didn’t have any super sense that allowed him to understand if someone was part of that weird world in which he found himself, but he could recognize that behaviour that every enhanced person seemed to bring with them. It was a weird mix of proud and guilt, and the tendency to believe that they could have done more. It was the Superhero™ look, and Tony was the one who brevetted it. “You know mine, why don’t you show me yours?” He asked. Danny looked at him for a moment, then blinked his eyes and shook the head. 

“I can’t. I lost it and now, I’m not sure I can control the Iron Fist anymore,” The guy lowered his eyes to his hands and only at that moment his smile disappeared from his lips. Guilt, wish to have done more, and the knowledge to be just human, vulnerable, failable. 

\--

The music was high, the alcohol was the only thing that made that charity party enjoyable. That and the little Rand, apparently. Tony didn’t remember his name, but he was a pretty thing. Just turned twenty-one, drunk and smiling. Tony, thirty-five and bored to the bone, wouldn’t give the kid a second glance in any other occasion. 

He looked too nice, too kind, as far as possible from Starks usual frequentation. As far as possible from him at the kid’s age. Obie was speaking with someone, Tony didn’t really care. It was a fucking charity event, not the place where to find people ready to buy their latest product and, anyway, Stane was the one who took care of that kind of things. Tony’s expertise was more in creating and having a good time, and that wasn’t lab time. 

He walked past some hands who were trying to grasp his for a photo from that or this magazine and reached the Rands, intercepting yet another glass that the Rand Enterprises heir seemed to be ready to gulp in a single sip. 

“You’re going to regret this in the morning, kiddo,” Tony said, finishing the champagne and fixing his eyes on Rand’s. “And there are better things to regret in the morning than an awful headache the first time you can drink to a party.” 

There was a glimpse of curiosity in the other man’s eyes, and that was the answer Tony had waited for. He led the way for the bathroom and a moment later Rand’s lips were around his hard cock. 

If only Tony remembered why Danny seemed familiar. But, again, the years from his parents’ death to his awakening in a cave in the middle of nowhere were a continuous blur for Stark. 

\--

It took Tony a day before he could walk out from the private clinic. Danny had asked him to help and, honestly, without the uncertainty about who of the Avengers was still up and fighting, he didn’t have the luxury to refuse any kind of help, especially when this help owned a private jet that could get them in New York rapidly and easily. 

And while Tony could affirm that Rand was way too talkative, there was something, in him, that fascinated the genius. Maybe it was the fact that he could be positive, despite Tony did, in the end, explained him what happened on Titan with Thanos or the fact that he was intelligent enough to understand Tony and was easy to share ideas with him, or Stark didn’t even know, but it was like he had been known Danny forever. Speak with him was easy, and, maybe, Tony had never felt like that with anyone in a long time, but for Peter - and, again, he wasn’t going to think about the Spider-Kid -. 

Nebula smiled and sometimes entered in their conversations, but, most of the times, just looked at them. And she noticed the barely there glimmering in Danny’s eyes when he thought nobody was looking, and the softer smile that Tony flashed the younger man when Rand finished one sentence for him or the likes She said nothing, though. She heard the heartbreaking message Stark left to his fiancé even if she didn’t want to - Quill’s ship was too small for guaranteeing privacy to its inhabitants -, and she knew that Tony deserved someone who could understand what being a hero was like. She liked Rand enough, even if she knew the engineer enough to know a long time would have been required. 

“Yours isn't exactly an origin story,” Tony joked, once Danny stopped to speak about how he became the Iron First and what that meant. All that Tony could think about was that the Himalayan mountains seemed to be very much populated, first the wizards, now the creepy and shining ninjas. And all billionaires from New York seemed to find those cults, weird. Someone could have made a TV show out of it. “And I’ll need something stronger to drink if your intent is to continue with the yin and yang bullshit.”

“Dr Cho told me you are strongly dehydrated and she let you go just because he knows how stubborn you are. So the only thing you will drink is water,” Rand retorted, and if Tony was surprised that the kid knew Helen Cho he didn’t show it. She was one of the best doctors in the world, and after Ultron, she decided to go back to Asia. It made sense that she chose Japan. 

“I’m offended that she didn’t say hello,” He answered, instead, taking a long sip from his glass. He hated to admit, but the cold water was a blessing for his mouth. “So, you said you’re not sure you can control the shining thingy, and I won’t ask you to fight for us, but I thought the Compound to be a home for every superhero I can find out there. If you don’t know where to go, or if you want updates on when your best friend will be back, know that the door is open for you.”

“I want to help,” Danny answered, nodding at the older man. “And I know a couple of friends who would like to make the difference if they are still around.”

\--

The Compound was silent, not that Tony expected it to be different, but during the night was even worse than when Danny’s jet landed some hours before. Nebula was greeted by a talking racoon - which was apparently a thing, now - who told her how Groot turned into dust in front of him, and they stayed silent, occupying the same space since that moment. Stark supposed that was the alien version of mourning and he didn’t want to bother his new friend. 

The rest of the day was spent with Bruce checking on his vitals - despite Tony told the doctor Helen Cho already did it - and Danny repeating his story over and over again. Tony noticed that he never mentioned his plane crash, just vaguely saying that he lost his parents when he was in his twenties. Tony wasn’t going to call him out on that, but he couldn’t understand either why the younger man valued him worthy of his trust. 

During the night, though, the few living forms shouted almost completely down, but for the incessant beeping of Fury’s pages and Tony felt, for once, capable to think. He didn’t ask about the missing people in the Compound, he couldn’t and wouldn’t, because he saw their eyes, the pain in those, the same that was lighting his. 

He walked toward the bar, looking for something that could bring him away from the memories of Peter turning into dust. He needed to sleep, but, at the same time, he knew that he couldn’t because once he managed to close his eyes, all he saw was sand and dust and the echo of Thanos snapping his fingers, even if he never heard it. The last person he waited to see seated on one of the stools, though, was Danny himself. Rand decided to stay for the night, before going and check on his friends, but Tony suspected he was just procrastinating the inevitable. The bottle of whiskey in front of him and his not-so-put-together attire confirmed Stark’s suspects. 

“Stark,” He said, without even completely turn to look at him and taking another sip from his glass. 

“Rand,” Tony replied. “I’m not the only one who can’t sleep, apparently.”

“I prefer to question my life choices” Danny confirmed. 

“Never do that, believe me, you’ll end almost fifty and hating yourself.”

Danny offered him a tired smile. “There is a girl…”

“The story of my life: once upon a time, there was a girl, a lot of alcohol, and somebody to impress,” That, at least, made the blond man chuckle. “And people do really envy us for this shit.”

“Us? Billionaires or heroes?” 

“I was going to say handsome men, but you have a point,” He tried to reach for the bottle, but Danny pushed it away, jumping at the other side of the counter and filling a glass of tap water for him. Fuck, the guy was annoying! “What is keeping you awake, Danny?”

“What is keeping everyone awake, with the difference that you really did something to stop it. I was fighting stupid quarrels where the destiny of the Universe was at risk. I could have…”

“No, believe me, you couldn’t, nobody could. That’s the point: this is the only way, and even if we don’t know which way it is yet, we will figure it out,” He didn’t even know from where all his certainly came from, but he was trusting Danny in telling him why Thanos had the Time Stone just like he trusted Strange. Maybe their cults worked in the opposite way. “Together. Avengers, Guardians, Wizards, apparently, because I totally saw Wong today, and you and your friends, if they’ll want to,” Tony smiled, and even if it wasn’t a real smile, he saw it mirroring shakingly on Danny’s lips. “So you had better find a badass name, and I’d been told that Revenges is already taken.”

“Defenders,” Danny answered. “We are the Defenders.”

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments are the air I breathe and the reason why I write, so make ur girl happy. 
> 
> **wanna say 'hi'? do you have a prompt for me?** find me on [tumblr](https://ironstrange-is-the-endgame.tumblr.com/).  
> find my entire bingo card on [dreamwidth](https://myrcellabaratheon.dreamwidth.org/3109.html) and [pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/posts/481274).


End file.
